Refrigerated dough mixer



April 18, 1950 M. A. sTlcELBER 2,504,465

REFRIGERATED DOUGH MIXER Filed Sept. 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TORMERLIN A. STICELBER l v lvl Qz/PM April 18, 1950 M A. STICELBERREFRIGERATED DoUGH MIXER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 6, 1945 ./WEHUNA?. STICELER Patented Apr. 18, 1950 REFRIGERATED DOUGH MIXER Merlin A.Sticelber, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Stickelber & Sons, Inc., a.corporation oi Missouri Application September 6, 1945, Serial N0.614,723

My invention relates to dough mixers, and more particularly to arefrigerated dough mixer.

It is a purpose ofmy invention to provide a dough mixer in which theWall portion thereof with which the dough contacts during the mixingoperation, or a portion of said Wall, is cooled so as to prevent thedough from rising inltemperature to a point where the gluten developmentwill be interfered with. While I have provided a dough mixer in whichthis is accomplished with much i greater efficiency than in the ordinarywater cooled mixer in the apparatus described in my Patent No.2,265,552, patented December 9, 1941, by providing a direct expansioncoil forming part of the mixing chamber wall or in heat conductingrelation thereto, I have found that it is desirable to get the highestefciency possible out of such an expansion coil, particularly in doughmixers, which are of such a character that the entire wall with whichthe dough comes in contact can not be refrigerated readily. In doughmixers of the tilting type, the entire wall with which the dough comesin contact during the mixing operation can be cooled if this is found tobe desirable in order to maintain the dough below a desiredpredetermined temperature, as explained in my above re ferred to patent.However, in dough mixers that are of a non-tilting type, in which asliding closure is provided that forms part of the Wall of the doughmixer during the mixing operation,

which is moved out of closing position topermit the dough to bedischarged from the mixer when the mixing operation is completed, thearea ofthe Wallthat can be cooled is reduced considerably belowthatprovided in a dough mixer that has a tiltable mixing chamber.

In my Patent No. 2,274,220 on Refrigerated dough mixers, patentedFebruary 24, 1942, and in my Patent No.2,315,230, patented March 30,1943, I provide a direct expansion cooling coil on the wall of a doughmixer, which is made up of a plurality of channel members that have theedge portions thereof Welded to the wall that is to be cooled to form adirect expansion cooling coil directly on the outer face of the wall ofsaid mixer with which the dough comes in contact during the mixingoperation. Due to the fact that the said channel members have to bewelded to said wall along their edges, there are areas of the doughmixer wall between adjacent channel members that are not refrigerated bydirect contact of refrigerant therewith and do not actually form part ofthe expansion coil. It is the principal purpose of my inventiontoprovidean expansion coil for a dough mixerwall, or doughmixer wall por 1claim. (ci. 257-203) tion, that will eliminate these wallportions thatare not subjected to contact of refrigerant there-A with, so that theentire Wall that is refrigerated constitutes part of the expansion coilwall.

It is a particular purpose of my invention to provide a refrigerateddough mixer with means for cooling a wall thereof, or a wall portionthereof, comprising a plurality of parallel members channel-shaped incross section, which are welded to the dough mixer wall and to eachother in overlapping arrangement so that one side of the con-- duitlength formed by one of said channel mem-- bers in combination with thedough mixer wall is;

overlapped by a portion-of the conduit length. lying next thereto, saidlengths being alternatelyv connected with each other at the oppositeends:` thereof to provide a circuitous path forV the cool-- ing mediumflowing through the cooling coil thus provided.

More specifically my invention comprises a cooling coil or expansioncoil for a dough mixer wall, comprising a plurality of memberschannelshaped in cross section, which have onelongitudinal edge of eachthereof welded to the dough mixer Wall in iiuid tight relation, and havethe other longitudinal edge thereof welded in uid tight relation to theouter side of another such channel member, which the said channel memberoverlaps. The channel members thus each overlap another channel member`and, are connected with such overlapping channel member and the mixingchamber wall in uid tight relation so that by providing openings in thewall portions of the overlapped members alternately at opposed. endsthereof, a cooling coil or expansion coil is formed on the dough mixerwall portion to which said channel members are secured, which hascooling medium flowing along said wall over the entire area thereof onwhich said cooling or expansion coil is formed. Instead of providingrefrigerated wall portions having no cooling medium flowing along thesame, as is the case where adjacent channel members are provided to formthe cooling or expansion coil, as in my above referred to patents, No.2,274,220 and No. 2,315,230.

While my improved cooling coillor expansion coil is particularlyadaptable for use where very` high cooling efficiency is required due tothe lim` ited area to which the expansion coil can be applied, it willalso increase the` efficiency of the cooling or expansion coil wheresuch area is not limited, but can extend over the Whole wall por-` tionof the dough mixer with which dough contacts. as in the case of atiltable chamber orrbowl l Other objects andk advantages of myIinvention will appear as the description of the drawings proceeds. Idesire to have it understood, however, that I do not intendto limitmyself to the particular details shown or described, except as dened inthe claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a dough mixer bowl: of -atiltable' type', showing my? improved-` expansion coil" applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a dough mixer that has a xed bowlwith a movable wallL portion, showing my improved expansion-.coilapplied thereto.

F'ig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View thro-ugh -a portion of myimproved expansion coi'l' on an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 4 is a view partly in section through said dough mixer wallportion, showing the cooling or lexpansion coil in elevation, partlybroken away.

Referring in detail toi the drawings, in Fig, 1 is. shown adoughmi'xer-havinga til'table bow-lLA having endf wal1s15, betweenwliichk is mounted a'. dough contacting wall made up-of the-inclinedwall portions Banda curved wall portion con-` necting said inclined wallportions. An agitator 8` of any desired' typey is provided foragita-tingv the contents of the mixer and periodically engage ing thesame with the dough engaging'wallpor-- tions. of the mixer; In Fig. 2 isshown a dough mixer that has. a-body` portion 9 provided with ay mixingchamber of a similar shape to tha-t shown in-Fig; 1, having a fixed wallportion that has an inclined portion Gl and a curved-portiorr-l",similar` tothe-portions 6 and li of the dough mixer shown inv Fig; l1,and' a door or closure member lo that for-ms the remainder ofthe doughengaging wall'y of: the mixer when in its closing position- Inasmuchasthe door I-'-is-slid'a'ble up a-ndf-dowr-r,,itis` obviously diicult toprovide refrigeratingmeans for the wall portion formed-by said-- door,and it is-customary in dough mixers oi-thetype shownl in Fig. 2`toprovide refrigerating means. onlyfor the wall portions l and 6".

Referring toA Fig. 3, a doughr contacting wal-1- portion 6l isA shown,to which channel members Hare Welded along one longitudinaledge-thereof,as indicated at l2`. substantially U-shaped or semi-cylindricalincrosssection and arranged in overlapping rela:-

tion, as shown in Fig. 3i so that the-otherlongi- .r

tudinal-ed'ge I3- of each ofsaid channel members is-wel'ded to theoutercurved surface I-dofthechannel member Ilrlying-next thereto,-said-weld'- being indicated at |52. 'I-heunder-lapping. chan--nel-membery lil iscut away atonerendfthereofto provide an opening HiVtherein leading into the-` overlapping channel member. Said? cut awaypor* tionsare provided at only one endof* each-overVw lapped channelmember and are provided'at op pos-ite ends-:of the channel membersvthat; liel next' to-e'achother, to'thus provide for flow or cooling;-mediumfrom-right to left, as viewedi inl Fig. 4;,

throughone of theconduits formedjby'the over`vlappinglyarrangedchannel'members I-l andi'nfthe "welded" inl awell known mannerliquid' tight to The channelv` members are the last channel member ofthe overlapping interconnected series.

It will be noted upon reference to Fig. 3 that as a result of theoverlapping arrangement of channel members Il provided, all portions ofthe wall 6 along which the cooling coil or expansion coil lies, of whichthe dough mixer wall forms a part-,g will be contacted byf'the coolingmedium flowing 'through the parallerlengths ofthe cool ing coil providedby this construction, except for the very small areas where the edgeportion of a channel lli.- iswelded to said wall of the dough mixer.These areas will be so exceedingly small andwilly be in; heat conductingrelation to the Awalls ofthe channelv members Il, which are alsocontacted by the cooling medium throughout their'inner faces; that theentire wall area over which the. cooling coil extends will be subjectedto substantially the same cooling action by refrigerant or coolingmedium flowing through the cooling coil or expansioncoil.-

In providing my'i-mproved cooling'co'il-E made: up of the overlappingchannel members Il? oir a dough mixer oi thel type shown in Flga 1, saidchannel members are welded-tog each otherv ariel" to the wall portions6- and 'F inf-'the manner-@illus-l trated in Fig. 1 to provide acontinuous cool-ing coil having adjoining f lengthsv of th'econduitali-- ternately connected together at opposite-- ends= thereofto providea circuitouspath ior'the'v rei-f rigerant or other cooling mediumfromthere-- frigerant inlet connection: zllftothereturn-conduit I9, which isconnected' withthev return or sln'iion connection'Z'l. Ifthe'-cooling-'co'il is-an-exp'ansioncoil, anv expansion device 22 is#providcd'- irr theinlet connectionv ZiliinA a well known manner. The:coolingl coill is provided with a heat' insulating covering.V 213 andanouter met'alli'c-coveringf over the heat insulatingV covering'in-awellkn'own manner. In the formoJ doughf mixer shownii'rr Fig; Zthecooling coil or expansioncoi-llmadeupfl of the overlapping channel'4members II iscprorvided alongthewall portions 6' and; 1f", asillustrated in Fig. 2", and is'pro'vid'ed withthe-connecA tionsfor thesupply of refrigerant theretosa-ndi re@- turnof'refrigerant therefrom;as abovegdescrib'ed, the same reference numerals beingAA applied to#these parts. inl Fig. 2 as' in Fig. 1".

Preferably, myj improved-` refrigerated dbu'gh'i mixer lis cooled'bymeans of-a direct-expanslom colli made in the mannerf'ab'ove-described.`However; the same advantages would exist, y to ther-exterior ofthe'capabilities of the cooling-medium,- ifbrine@ or' other coolingliquid were utilizedE in acooling coil'madeinth'emanner"abovejdescribedi What I claim is:i

In' a dough mixer, a mixing chamber hav-ing a refrigerated: wall'-portion; andy reirigeratihg means for' said; wall portion comprisingaplus, rality off straight; parallel; transversely` curved-- refrigerantconduits channelsh'ape d3 irr crossY sec-- tion, said conduits eachhaving' one-marginalLedge" thereof'` secured to said"v wallf portion"and having the other marginal edge thereof-'secured'invoverslappi'ngrt-elation to theconduit ajdacent`-` thereto; alternate"conduits vat oneendfthereoieachhaving anjopening inthe wall thereofoverlapped by' the`vl conduit secured thereto` and the'l conduitsalteranatin'gtherewith at the other end-*thereof each i having anopeningjinthe'wallithereofioverlapped bythe conduit securedthereto:tofconnectjalli saidl conduits alternately at opposite endsthereof inn series, end'; walls extendingftransversely-to" s' d2*-conduits" andJ secured" thereto j inh iliii'd'r tightv rel tion, andAmeans"cooperatingwlthorreof'saii'end'- Walls to provide a conduitextending along said wall portion at one end of said conduits andtransversely thereof, said parallel conduits being imperforate exceptfor said openings at the ends thereof to provide a single circuitouspassage i'or refrigerant along said wall, one end of said passage beingconnected With said transversely extending conduit.

MERLIN A. STICELBER..

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis :patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Heynssens Nov. 15, 1938Sticelber Dec. 9, 1941 Lornitzo Feb. 27, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS CountryDate Great Britain May 12, 1938 Germany Oct. 1, 1936

